Government offers aid to laid-off Boeing workers

? Thousands of workers laid off from Boeing’s commercial aircraft division will be eligible for added federal assistance, including job search allowances and income support, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The aid will come as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which provides help to people who lose their jobs or whose wages shrink significantly because of increased imports.

The announcement came the day before Boeing was expected to deliver new layoff notices.

In Washington state, 18,000 former Boeing employees in the Puget Sound region and Spokane will be eligible for the federal assistance, Employment and Training Administration spokeswoman Kathy Noll said. Another 5,000 people each in Portland, Ore., and Wichita, Kan., also will be able to participate.

The assistance includes support for occupational-skills or basic-training programs, remedial education or literacy classes. It provides 52 weeks of cash payments after most or all unemployment benefits are exhausted or when workers are in approved training programs. Job search and relocation allowances are also offered.